The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-12-27


nearer TO the cid man.
''Wen," continued Plunkett, ''Peter he got
in the middle, and the youngsters walked err
round and Ground er singing so as you could
er hered en- er mile:
IT rains aud it halls aud it's cold stormy weather
Along comes the farmer drinking all the cider
III reap the oats and who'll be the binder?
! lost my true love and right here III find her.
"And then the change come and Peter he
throwed himself GROUND and got by the side of
Lucy and he has told me since that he loved
her from that very mint
Old man Brown was unable to contain HIM
self longer and he remarked:
And Lucy made him as good er wife as
ever er man had"
Plunkett frowned at being disturbed, but
soon continued:
The young folks went on with their play
ing-iir3t one thing and then another-till
pretty soon they got partners ana went walking
Ground and Ground ergin, singing:
Very well done. said Johnnie Brown,
This is the way 10 London town.
Stand you still, stand EOu by,
TIL you hear the Waterman cry.
On this carpet you must kneel
Kiss your true love in the field.
Kiss the one that you love best
Just before she goes to rest
"Pretty SOON" continued Plunkett, ''they
cried out, Seat your partners and Peter and
Lucy was right close to me and Lucy she
turned and lowed;
MT. Plun1ett, let me make YOU acquainted
with Mr.. Simpson
Then Peter he shook hands erlong with me
and took er seat by me, and il warn't no time
till me and him was just like old friends and
he lived by me er long time and IneveT had er
truer friend or better neighbor and Christmas
makes me think erbout these old times and
these old neigh5ors that have passed away
forever
'wen," continued Plunkett. "Peter and
Lucy married during of the year IS4-, and
that's what want to tell You about.
"In that old hewed Lighthouse that yo1 pass
ed on the road where the moss is er growing
on the roof lives or Niger man by the name of
old Tom that was the first Niger that ever
Peter and Lucy had. Tom was some eighteen
years old when Peters dada give him to them,
and old Tom and Peter had been brought up to-
gether, and Peter done just as much work as
he required Tom to do, and they made good
crops and in two or three years Peter had er
right smart money layed up and so he bought
some more land, after that he bought another
niger Or two and they helped him, and soon
paid for themselves and Tom and Lucy got
ambitious 10 be rich and they went in debt,
thinking they cauld work and pay out, and so
things were moving erlong when oldI Tom,
over yonder ON the road. went to his young
master and mistress and told em he wanted TO
marry one of Old Squire Crawford's niger
gals. Toms master was willing for him to
IL
squire he fixed up and before anybody thought
erbout il he'd sold out his plantation and put.
! out for Texas. Folks were crazy on Texas
them days and it didn't take er fellow long to
git off for them parts when the fever once
struck 'em.
"After Squire Crawford went off to Texas
old Tom never was tho same fellow He
didn't sing and dance GROUND like he always
had and he'd set Ground by himself and
wouldn't have much to do with ANYBODY and
Dot. fina1 nd ~
to forget the girl that went Off to
Texas but they couldn't and old
Tom he begin 20 talk Ground ermong
the other niggers that slavery was wrong
and that he rather be dead than submit to
it. Things went erlong this way till Tom he
got worse and worse, till at last one night
when the nggers had gathered out in their
yard and Were er playing and or singing under
big oak on the grass, Tom he Jest set out on
er horse block and whitfield with his knife and
looked down at the ground till he hered the
niggers sing the old song:
"Old massa give me hollerday
He said he'd give me more,
And thanked him very kindly,
And showed my boat from shore.
its oh, my dearest May!
You're lovely as the day.
Your eyes so bright
They shine OF night,
When the moon has gone away"
And from across the branch came the plaintive
sound of negro voices from Freemans quar-
ter and as Tom listened his heart seemed to go
out in sympathy to the singers, for as they
progressed he slowly raised his headand leaned
forward, rs if to catch the sound and his lips
moved in unison rs the words
took her hand within my own,
A tear was in her eye,
asked her ii she would be NINE
Her answer was a sigh
oh Emma dear, dear Emma,
From the Mississippi Vale,
In all this wide world over
There 5 none like Emma Dale,
swelled upon the breozcs and at the finish he
arose from his seat and walked towards the
woods.
! "When the niggers got through with their
! trolck, Tom WAS gone, and the next morning
| when the other mggers went to work thar
| wan'I no Tom there, and it was soon known
! that Tom was n runaway.
| peter and Lucy wouldn't here to putting
| hounds after Tom and so he was not heard
from any more and they had quit talking about
! him on the place. Thus it went for n year.
| The crops were sorry and Peter failed to pay
anything on his thousand dollar note to old
man Smith but had to renew and borrow a
little more. Peter was confident and Lucy
was cheerful and so they pitched another crop
and resolved to economiIe and work hard,
never thinking that luck had turned crgiu 'em,
"Erlong in June. though continued Punk
! eft, ''tho nicgers that Peter had bought got
/ the smallpox emong them and all three OF
/ them died and the crop was lost but Peter
/ rolled up his sleeves and worked the harder
/ and Lucy she was jjst the same good little
I woman and they modo er pretty good crop
! and gos IL housed and Z don't q ir, ais eut
OF 'em ever thought erbont luck o,.u- ersu
em.
"But continued the old man. ION the "a
dav OF pccomber--on the night OF that day
. never would forget 1t II l were TO live e.
( thousand years, Peters barn ketched er tir'
! ana burned up his whole crop and all three o
/ his horses and the very next morning Of,
smith was over there er pressing him for tn,
twelve hundred dollars and said he had {,
have il OF he'd take possession OF the farm